Elucidation of the bonding in Mn(eta2-SiH) complexes by charge density analysis and T1 NMR measurements: asymmetric oxidative addition and anomeric effects at silicon.

The bonding in Mn(eta2-SiH) complexes is interpreted in terms of an asymmetric oxidative addition whose extent is controlled by the substitution pattern at the hypercoordinate silicon centre, and especially by the ligand trans to the eta2-coordinating SiH moiety.